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UNITED STATES OF AMERICA. 



^jome College Juries, 






Number 



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One Hundred. 



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BY J. I. BOS WELL. 



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NEW YORK: 
PHILLIPS & HUNT. 

CINCINNATI : 

WALDEN & . S T O W E . 

1884. 



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THE LIBRARY 
Or CONGRESS 

WASHINGTON 



The "Home College Series" will contain one hundred short papers on 
a wide range of subjects — biographical, historical, scientific, literary, domes- 
tic, political, and religious. Indeed, the religious tone will characterize all 
of them. They are written for every body — for all whose leisure is limited, 
but who desire to use the minutes for the enrichment of life. 

These papers contaia seeds from the best gardens in all the world of 
human knowledge, and if dropped wisely into good soil, will bring forth 
harvests of beauty and value. 

They are for the young- — especially for young people (and older people, 
too) who are out of the schools, who are full of "business" and "caies," 
who are in danger of reading nothing, or of reading a sensational literature 
that is worse than nothing. 

One of these papers a week read over and over, thought and talked about 
at "odd times," will give in one year a vast fund of information, an intel- 
lectual quickening, worth even more than the mere knowledge, acquired, a 
taste for solid read n^ : many hours of simple and wholesome pleasure, and 
ability to talk intelligently and helpfully to one's friends. 

Pastors may organize "Home College" classes, or ''Lyceum Reading 
Unions," or "Chautauqua, Literary and Scientific Circles," and help the 
young people to read and think and talk and live to worthier purpose. 

A young man may have his own little "college" all by himself, read this 
siies of tracts one after the other, (there wiit sooirlte one hundred of them 
ready.) examine himself on them by the " Tlioughi.-Outliue to Help the-Mem- 
ory," and thus gain knowledge, and, what is belter, a love of knowledge. 

And what a young man may do in this respect, a young woman, and both 

old men and old women, may do. 

J. H. Vincent. 
Few Yoek, Jan., 1SS3. 



Copyright, 1883, by Phillips & Hunt, New York. 



Pome College Serves. fTitinlm" (Dnt fjumtrrca. 



MACAULAY THE HISTORIAN. 



Early Life. Thomas B. Macaulay was born in England, 
October 25, 1800. His parents resided at Clapham, a suburb 
of London, and here Macaulay spent the first few years of 
his life. His fond mother writes concerning him : " My 
dear Tom continues to show marks of uncommon genius. 
He gets on wonderfully in all branches of his education, and 
the extent of his reading, and the knowledge he has derived 
from it, are truly astonishing in a boy not yet eight years 
old." At that early period he wrote a short compendium of 
universal history, and a youthful poem in imitation of Scott's 
"Marmion," which he knew nearly by heart. Among the 
friends of the family was Miss Hannah More, who took a 
deep interest in the bright, intelligent lad. " Though you 
are a little boy now," she writes, " you will one day, if it 
please God, be a man; but long before you are a man I 
hope you will be a scholar. I therefore wish you to pur- 
chase such books as will be useful and agreeable to you 
then, and that you employ this very small sum in laying a 
little tiny corner-stone for your future library." 

After a few years at a private school, Macaulay was 
entered, at the age of eighteen, as a student of Trinity Col- 
lege, Cambridge. His time was well spent, but he did not 
take the highest honors, as he did not excel in mathematics, 
which is the special study of that place. In the ancient 
Latin and Greek authors he was at home, and his love of 
them clung to him to the last. His memory was remark- 
ably retentive, and he could read a page of printed matter 
as quickly as another person could read a half dozen lines. 
He once affirmed that if all the copies of " Paradise Lost " and 



MACAULAY THE HISTORIAN. 



" Pilgrim's Progress " were destroyed, he would undertake 
to reproduce them both from recollection. 

His student days at Trinity College were happy ones. 
Among his friends were the two sons of Coleridge, and in 
the debating society he began to exercise those powers as a 
debater which came into full play when he became a mem- 
ber of the House of Commons. He obtained a prize for a 
smoothly-written poem on " Pompeii " — a poem of no special 
merit, and another prize for an essay on the character of 
King William III., the hero of his future history. 

In 1826 he was called to the bar, and joined the circuit at 
Leeds. But the law had no charm for him, its dry techni- 
calities repulsed him, and he preferred listening to the de- 
bates in Parliament to reading law books. In 1824 he made 
at an antislavery meeting his first public speech, which 
was received with great applause, and in the same year 
wrote for "Knight's Quarterly Magazine," which was large- 
ly sustained by Eton and Cambridge. 

At this period the " Edinburgh Review " was at the height 
of its power and influence. It had been started twenty- 
three years before by Sydney Smith and others, and had fought 
a brave fight in the world of politics and literature. The 
original supporters of the " Review " were becoming too old 
or too busy to write much, and the able editor, Jeffrey, was 
anxious to secure new writers. In 1825 he wrote to a friend 
in London : " Can you not lay your hands on some clever 
young man, who would write for us ?" Hands were accord- 
ingly laid on that "clever young man," Macaulay, and that 
same year his article on Milton appeared — the first of a 
brilliant series. 

The Essayist. The article on Milton was eagerly read, 
and made a wide and deep impression. Its author suddenly 
became famous, and invitations to dinner parties were sent to 
him from all parts of London. Jeffrey, the editor, was of 



MA CAUL AY TEE HISTORIAN 3 

course delighted, and wrote to him: "The more I think 
the less I can conceive where you picked up that style." 
As for the article, it is somewhat too glittering to suit a 
matured literary taste ; but it does justice to the prose 
writings of Milton, and there is a glow and rush in the sen- 
tences which attract those who are wearied with the ponder- 
ous sentences of dull writers. 

The essays which Macaulay contributed run through a 
period of twenty years, and they form a library in them- 
selves. Nearly all treat of subjects of abiding interest. 
They are written in a vigorous style, and show the most ex- 
tensive reading. There are constant allusions to characters 
in history, in poetry, and in fiction, and illustrations drawn 
from the records of all ages and countries. The knowledge 
of Macaulay was not idly stored in his brain, but always 
ready for use. It is difficult to decide upon the relative 
merit of these essays. The article on "Church and State" 
is a review of a book by Hon. W. E. Gladstone, and the 
opening paragraphs speak kindly of the " young man of un- 
blemished character and of distinguished parliamentary tal- 
ents." The essay on Bacon was the fruit of much study, 
and is admirable; and that on Frederic the Great is perhaps 
the most interesting to the general reader. Some parts of 
certain essays are of much greater value than other parts, 
and a volume of " Elegant Extracts " could therefore be 
easily made. Thus the few paragraphs on Chatham as a de- 
bater, and the description of his last appearance in Parlia- 
ment, are worth more than all the rest of his two articles. 
The history of the " Spectator," in the article on Addison, is 
a pleasing example of the narrative style, and the account 
of the trial of Warren Hastings in Westminster Hall is the 
finest of the descriptive passages. Special attention seems to 
have been paid by the writer to the closing paragraphs of 
his articles, such as those on Milton, Johnson, Hampden, 
and Chatham. The articles on Clive and Hastings were 



MACAULAY THE HISTORIAN. 



some of the ripe fruits of his residence of five years in India, 
and did much to make the history of that land known to the 
English-speaking race. In a review of Ranke's " History of 
the Popes," there are some valuable paragraphs to show 
the wise policy of the Church of Rome in using ignorant 
enthusiasm for the glory of the Church, instead of driving 
it without the pale. 

Macaulay was opposed to the republication of his essays 
in book form. Some of them, he said, were written in 
haste, and without any expectation of their having a long 
life. To republish them would be " to challenge a compari- 
son with all the most symmetrical and polished of human 
compositions." But the public desired them, and his oppo- 
sition gave way. They met with a large, rapid, and con- 
tinuous sale, and were reprinted by many houses in America 
and on the continent of Europe. Best of all, they have 
awakened in thousands of youthful minds a love for pure 
standard literature. 

In a letter to Napier, the editor, Macaulay says : " If I 
live twelve or fifteen years, I may perhaps produce some- 
thing which I may not be. afraid to exhibit side by side 
with the performances of the old masters." That something 
was his " History of England." 

The Historian. In 1848 appeared the first two volumes 
of the history, in 1855 two more volumes were issued, and 
after his death a fifth volume, partially prepared, was given 
by his literary executors to the public. No work not being 
one of amusement has, in our day, attained so great a circu- 
lation, and its popularity is well deserved. It was the fruit 
of much toil and study, and was written at that time of life 
when the mental powers are mature. / Macaulay retired 
from political life, and largely from social life, that he might 
give his entire time to his work. Thackeray said of him : 
" He reads twenty books to write a sentence, he travels a 



MAC AXIL AY THE HISTORIAN. 



hundred miles to make a line of description." Nor is this 
the language of exaggeration. Macaulay says himself : " I 
am working intensely, and I hope not unsuccessfully. My 
third chapter, which is the most difficult part of my task, is 
done, and I think not ill done." Whoever reads that third 
chapter with care, must see that it is the fruit of vast study 
in many different directions. 
r The great success of his first two volumes only raised him 
to greater exertions. In 1849 he makes the following entry 
in his private journal : "I will first set myself to know the 
whole subject; to get by reading and traveling a full ac- 
quaintance with William's reign. I reckon that it will take 
me eighteen months to do this. I must visit Holland, Bel- 
gium,°Scotland, Ireland, France. The Dutch archives and 
French archives must be ransacked. I will see whether 
any thing is to be got from other diplomatic collections. I 
must see Londonderry, the Boyne, Aghrim, Limerick, Kin- 
sale, Namur again, Landen, Steinkerk. I must turn over 
hundreds, thousands of pamphlets. Lambeth, the Bodleian, 
and the other Oxford libraries, the Devonshire papers must 
be explored and notes made, and then I shall go to work. 
When the materials are ready, and the history mapped out 
in my mind, I ought easily to write out on an average two 
of my papers daily. In two years from the time I have be- 
gun writing, I shall have more than finished my second 
part. Then I reckon a year for polishing, retouching, and 
printing." 

This plan was carried out. His materials were collected 
in note-books ; were then stored in his brain; and when he 
w^as full of the subject, he began to compose. His first 
rough sketch was written in great haste, and after that came 
the slow and toilsome labor of revising and rewriting^ He 
rewrote at the rate of two printed pages daily. This he 
called his " task," and he found this was all he could do at 
his best, and unless he could work at his best he would not 



MA CAUL AY THE HIS TOBIAS. 



work at all. He spared no effort to make his sentences flow 
along as smoothly and as clearly as a running brook. He 
worked in the interest of his reader, and labored not only to 
gather knowledge, but to express it in a style which could 
be readily understood. 

For several years his mind was constantly on his great 
work, and seldom did he pass a day, or turn over a book, 
without meeting a suggestion which he turned to useful 
purpose. He, however, avoided that subtle temptation so 
common to authors, to talk of their literary work to their 
friends. The extracts from his private journals show his 
absorption in his work. 

This industry and genius met with a full reward. Ma- 
caulay awaited the publication with mingled hopes and 
fears. " The state of my own mind," he says, " is this : 
when I compare my book with what I imagine history ought 
to be, I feel dejected and ashamed; but when I compare it 
with some histories which have a high repute, 1 feel re-as- 
sured." He had no reason for fear. The volumes had an 
enormous sale, not only in England, but in the United States, 
and translations were made into many languages, even into 
the Persian. In circulating libraries they were for a time 
in as great demand as the popular novel. The author re- 
ceived many complimentary letters from distinguished 
authors, and was elected a member of the Academy of 
Berlin and of the Institute of France. His publishers sent 
him a check for 20,000 pounds, which fact is a landmark in 
literary history, and concerning which he writes: "What 
a sum to be gained by one edition of a book ! I may say, 
gained in one day. But that was harvest day. The work 
had been near seven years in hand." 

Opinions are divided as to the reliability of the history. 
The author was a Whig in politics, and writes of the tri- 
umph of those principles in the 1 7th century from his own 
point of view. His tone is that of an advocate, and his 



MACAULAY THE HISTORIAN. 



colors are very light or very dark. His convictions are 
positive, and he seems not to be troubled with doubts. His 
description of some of the great men of the period of which 
he wrote, has been severely censured. The character of 
William Penn appears in an unenviable light ; but Ma- 
caulay claimed to the last that he pictured him in his true 
colors. 

Strewed through the volumes are many passages of high 
descriptive power, such as those on the death of Charles 
II., the trial of the seven bishops, and the siege of Lon- 
donderry; and there are interesting accounts of the origin 
of the Bank of England, and of the rise of the sect of 
Quakers. To the general reader the history would have 
been of more value if many of the minute accounts of local 
church and state politics had been omitted, for these have 
but a temporary interest. 

The opening sentence contains a promise which the author 
was unable to keep. " I purpose," he said, " to write the 
history of England from the accession of King James II., 
down to a time which is in the memory of men still 
living." This would comprise a period of about 128 years 
— say from 1686 to 1814. In fact the period treated of 
comprises but 14 years, but they were eventful years; for it 
was a period of revolution^ The worthless James II. was 
driven to France, and that able statesman, William III. of 
Orange, came to the throne. /^Macaulay, in later years, lost 
none of his power of literary composition, but failing health 
hindered him from continuous work. With much reluc- 
tance he gave up the idea of writing the reign of Queen 
Anne, with the literature of which he was perfectly at 
home. He already knew, in the language which he applied 
to the dying William of Orange, " that his time was short, 
and grieved with a grief such as only noble spirits feel, to. 
think that he must leave his work but half finished." ^y^ 

The history ends with the death of W T illiam. It is there- 



MA GAUL AY THE HISTORIAN. 



fore a fragment, but a splendid fragment, and is a "monu- 
ment of the combined genius, industry, and scholarship of 
its author. 

The Statesman. Macaulay entered political life in the 
year 1830, and soon after made a plea to remove the civil 
disabilities under which the Jews were then laboring. He 
entered Parliament at a most important period. A cry had 
arisen through the nation for an equal representation in 
Parliament. Large towns had grown up through the in- 
fluence of manufactures and trade, and had not the political 
influence of what were called " pocket boroughs " — that is, 
those which were the gift of some rich land-owners. In vain 
did the Duke of Wellington oppose the rising tide of reform. 
The struggle between the House of Lords and House of 
Commons was bitter and protracted until the nation was on 
the verge of revolution. Then the stubborn king yielded, 
formed a cabinet which represented the great majority of 
the people, and the Reform Bill was passed, to the relief of the 
nation. Pending its passage, Macaulay made several effect- 
ive speeches in its favor, and of the first, Robert Peel said : 
" Portions of the speech were as beautiful as any thing I have 
ever heard or read. It reminded one of the olden times." 

The abolition of slavery was the next question which 
came up for settlement. Macaulay was true to his ante- 
cedents, and was willing to sacrifice place and power to his 
convictions. 

An event now occurred which for a season interrupted 
his parliamentary career. His father, who had been a man 
of wealth, failed in business, and Macaulay saw that his 
sisters would have no support save that which he could pro- 
vide for them. He had but two sources of revenue — his 
office and his pen. His tenure of office was insecure, and 
with his pen he could not more than make a living for him- 
self. He was not covetous for money, but he felt " how 



MA CA ULA Y THE HISTORIAN. 



necessary a competence is to a man who desires to be either 
great or useful." He was now offered a position as a mem- 
ber of the Supreme Council of India, a position of great 
honor, with a salary of ten thousand pounds a year. It was 
necessary that he reside in India for a term of five years. 
He accepted the position, and with his sister Hannah sailed 
on the long voyage to that land, which, to a man of his tastes, 
was a land of exile. 

The work which he did in India was great and benefi- 
cent, though bitterly opposed at the time. He vindicated 
the liberty of the press. As a member of the Committee 
on Public Instruction, he advocated teaching the elements 
of knowledge in the language of the people, and the 
higher branches in English. The minute which he wrote 
on this important subject settled the question forever. "How 
stands the case?" he writes. "We have to educate a people 
who cannot at present be educated by means of their mother 
tongue. We must teach them some foreign language. The 
claims of our own language it is hardly necessary to reca- 
pitulate." Thus was begun that system of national educa- 
tion which has spread over India, and brought forth abun- 
dance of good fruit. 

Of equal importance was the formation of a penal code. 
Macaulay was president of the commission appointed for 
that purpose, and he asserted that the code "should be 
framed on two great principles : the principle of suppress- 
ing crime with the smallest possible amount of suffering, 
and of ascertaining truth with the smallest possible cost of 
time and money." The code was framed after intense labor, 
but was too daring and original to be accepted at once. 
After some years of revision by able lawyers it was finally 
adopted, and is the present code of the Empire. 

In 1838 Macaulay returned to England with a competence 
obtained by saving up a good part of his large salary. He 
held office for a few years, and made a very effective 



10 MACAULAY THE HISTORIAN. 

speech on the copyright question. He came before the 
House of Commons with a measure to protect the works of 
an author forty-two years from the date of their publication. 
His speech was full of facts gleaned from history and liter- 
ature, and so convincing that his scheme was soon adopted 
with but slihgt modifications. The effect of the speeches 
of Macaulay were due to their matter, and not to their man- 
ner of delivery. He spoke rapidly, but with no varied in- 
tonations of voice; and the slight action which he used was 
ungainly. He, however, spoke with much earnestness, and 
when he desired, could do what many popular speakers 
failed to do — pack much matter into small sjDace. 

As years passed on, his love for literature crowded out his 
love for politics. He did not care to keep favor with his 
constituents, and he shrank from an exciting political cam- 
paign. The result was that he lost his seat for Edinburgh in 
1847. It was not, however, with grief, but with a sense of 
relief that he retired from exciting pubiic life, and gave 
himself to his friends, to his well- stocked library, and to 
the preparation of his history. 

The Scholar. Macaulay was a scholar, but in certain di- 
rections only. His knowledge of the higher mathematics 
was limited, and he spoke of them with undeserved con- 
tempt, because they gave no liberal idea or beautiful image. 
He gave little attention to philosophy, or to the natural 
sciences, or to the fine arts — with the single exception of 
poetry. But no single mind can grasp the universe of 
knowledge. He read again and again, in youth, manhood, 
and age, the marvelous literature of Greece and Rome, and 
enriched his books with notes and emendations. These 
authors were his companions in solitude, and his solace in 
care and sorrow. He read with diligence the best authors 
of France and Germany, and before he started on his vaca- 
tion tour through Italy, would read the standard writers of 



MA CA ULA Y THE HISTORIAN. 11 






that land from Dante to Manzoni. In English literature 
his reading was extensive and somewhat peculiar. He did 
not care much for the authors of the present age, and was 
repelled by the " semi-German jargon " of Carlyle and his 
school; but he knew all that was valuable, and much that 
was worthless, of preceding ages. Milton he knew from 
his youth upward. He had read not only Pope, Addison, 
Swift, and the other writers of the reign of Queen Anne, 
but many of the pamphlets of that time which are now for- 
gotten. Jane Austen was the favorite novelist; though in 
his light reading he used no discrimination, but read a pro- 
digious number of worthless volumes. He had a strange 
fondness for street ballads, and would pause to pick up 
some- rare and curious specimens at the street corners. 
His judgment on books is worth noting, even if it is at 
times astray — " Don Quixote " he pronounced to be the 
first novel of the world, the " Pilgrim's Progress " the first 
of allegories, " Boswell's Life of Johnson" far beyond all 
other biographies, and Shakespeare the greatest poet in 
any language. He was enthusiastic in reading, and tears 
would start to his eyes as he read the tender passages in 
Homer, and he would make his study ring with laughter as 
he read for the twentieth time the best of the Greek Com- 
edies. Books were real to him, and the great authors of 
the world were his friends who never wearied him. 

His scholarship appears in the imaginary "Lays of An- 
cient Rome." These lack the higher elements of poetry, but 
they are spirited rhymes, and are illuminated by a certain 
spirit which might well pass for the spirit of old Rome. 

For the last fifteen years of his life Macaulay gave him- 
self to literature with a devotion which no Englishman has 
shown since the days of Gibbon. He made what the world 
of his day called sacrifices for it. He retired from Parlia- 
ment, from official honors, and from brilliant parties, that he 
might study and write. He had his reward in the pleasure 



12 MA CA ULA Y THE HISTOIDS JV. 

which he obtained, and in the applause of those who owe to 
him something of their love for literature, for history, and 
for the art of expressing thought in clear and forcible 
English sentences. 

In one point he is an example to all literary workers. He 
always tried to write his best, and when his mind was jaded he 
did not work. He so planned his life that he was not depend- 
ent for his support simply on his pen, and he was, therefore, 
free from much anxiety. He revised with the utmost care, 
and the result was that his style improved to the last, as one 
can readily see by comparing the articles on Bunyan and 
Johnson with those on the same subjects which he prepared 
in subsequent years. With failing health he wrote less, 
but he did not write worse. 

Social Life. Macaulay found recreation from study in 
the presence of genial friends. The fame of his article on 
Milton introduced him to the best societv of London. He 
was brilliant and vivacious in conversation, and seemed to 
be well informed on almost every subject which was started. 
He was a favorite guest at the Holland House, where he 
met Rogers, the poet, Sydney Smith, the witty preacher, 
Campbell, Moore, and many other of the " lions " of that 
day. In an article in the " Edinburgh Review " he pays a 
graceful tribute to Lord Holland, and in more than one of 
his familiar letters to his sister he gives a lively sketch of 
that noble mansion, and of the manners and conversation of 
some of its celebrated visitors. Among these visitors was 
Talleyrand, the famous French diplomatist, and who, ac- 
cording to Lady Holland, had been for forty years the best 
story teller in Europe. " He is certainly," writes Macaulay, 
" the greatest curiosity I ever fell in with. His face is as 
pale as that of a corpse, and wrinkled to a frightful degree. 
His conversation, however, soon makes you forget his ugli- 
ness and infirmities." 



MA CA ULA Y THE HISTORIAN. 1 3 



At that time, Rogers, the banker-poet, gave delightful 
bw&kfast parties in his elegant mansion, which looked out 
on Green Park. What a brilliant circle of wits did he 
gather around him ! It was an age when conversation was 
studied as one of the fine arts, and when a good talker was 
ever in demand. Macaulay says : " The conversation of 
Rogers is remarkably polished and artificial. What he says 
seems to have been long meditated, and might be published 
with little correction. Sydney Smith talks from the impulse 
of the moment, and his fun is quite inexhaustible." Con- 
cerning the latter he again writes, in describing a visit 
which he made at his home : " He is full of wit, humor, 
and shrewdness. He is not one of these show talkers who 
reserve all their good things for special occasions. It seems 
to be his greatest luxury to keep his wife and daughters 
laughing for two or three hours every day." 

The journal of Lord Carlisle preserves, with too much 
brevity, however, the names of those with whom Macaulay 
lived when in the height of his fame, the houses he visited, 
and sometimes the topics which were considered. Allusion 
is made to a certain breakfast where met, among: others. 
Lord John Russell and Edward Everett : " Never were 
such torrents of good talk as burst over from Macaulay and 
Hallam." For fifteen years Macaulay had bachelor apart- 
ments in the building known as " The Albany," and here he 
gathered his friends. " Breakfasted with Macaulay," writes 
Carlisle. " The conversation ranged the world, ancient and 
modern. It is a refreshing break in commonplace life." 
But those days are passed, and the actors in them are no 
more of earth. 

Macaulay was unmarried, but his attachment to his rela- 
tives was deep and strong. His frequent letters to his sis- 
ters, Hannah and Margaret, glow with brotherly affection. 
His sister Hannah lived with him in India, and it was a trial 
in his life when she married. A favorite recreation was to 



14 MA CA ULA Y THE HISTORIAN. 

take his little nieces and nephews sight-seeing, until, as he 
said, " they could not draw one leg after another," and then 
end all with an elegant dinner. Of course they loved him 
and thought there was no man in all the world like "Uncle 
Tom." The world did not know until after the death of 
the historian how tender and true were his sympathies with 
those whom he loved. " What he was to me for fifty years," 
said his sister Hannah, u how can I tell ? What a world of 
love he has poured upon me and mine ! " 

Macaulay died somewhat suddenly December 29, 1859, 
and his pall-bearers were eminent men who had been his 
personal friends. " The services," says one who was present, 
"were in the highest degree solemn and impressive." He 
rests in the " Poets' Corner" of the celebrated Westminster 
Abbey, amid the tombs of Garrick, Johnson, Handel, Gold- 
smith, Dickens, and Thackeray; and at the base of the 
statue of Addison is the stone which bears the inscription of 
the birth and death of the essayist and the historian, and 
also the fitting words : 

"His body is buried in peace, 
But bis name liveth for evermore." 

Critical Remarks. As a writer, Macaulay has great ex- 
cellences and some great faults. He had the good sense to 
avoid treating topics which he could not treat of with marked 
ability. In a letter to Napier, who was then editor of the 
"Edinburgh Review," he says, " I have done my best to ascer- 
tain what I can and what I cannot do. I have a strong and 
acute enjoyment of the works of the imagination, but I have 
never habituated myself to dissect them. Perhaps I enjoy 
them the more keenly for that very reason." The subjects 
on which he wrote were mainly of a historical character. 

As a rule, he made careful and extensive preparations be- 
fore he put pen to paper. The article on Bacon was the 
fruit of much study, and in a letter concerning it he says: 



MACAULAY THE HISTORIAN. 15 



" My opinion is formed about Bacon after several very at- 
tentive perusals of his greatest works, and after a good deal 
of thought. I never bestowed so much care on any thin«- 
that I have written. There is not a sentence in the latter 
part of the article which has not been repeatedly recast." 

As to his style, it is clear and animated. He wrote to be 
understood, and his sentences never weary with their length. 
But he too often lacks calmness, and his sentences weary with 
their constant brilliancy. He seems to be a special pleader, 
and to speak like a lawyer in the court room who is deter- 
mined to gain either the acquittal or condemnation of the 
prisoner at the bar. We fear exaggeration, even though our 
knowledge may be too limited to prove it. He wrote his 
history with the feelings of an advocate, and the verdicts he 
pronounced are not to be received without a question. 

One thing, however, is certain: his history will long con- 
tinue to be read, and as time passes, his opinions of Penn, 
Marlborough, and others, will be accepted as correct. We live 
in a busy age and have not the time, if we had the inclina- 
tion, to find out the characters of men of a by-gone age. We 
take them as they are given to us by the poet, and by the 
historian who brings them to our view as vividly as the pen 
of the novelist could do. The critic may say what he pleases 
of Macaulay's history, but the reader will be thankful to that 
well-stored mind which gave to the world a history which 
presents in such a fascinating style the pictures of English 
life during a most important period in the annals of that 
nation. 

EXTRACTS FROM HIS WRITINGS. 

" And she [the Roman Catholic Church] may still exist 
in undiminished vigor, when some traveler from New Zea- 
land shall, in the midst of a vast solitude, take his stand 
upon a broken arch of London Bridge, to sketch the ruins 
of St. Paul's." 



16 MAGAULAY THE HISTORIAN. 

" During the latter half of the seventeenth century there 
were only two great creative minds. One of these minds 
produced the * Paradise Lost;' the other, 'Pilgrim's Prog- 
ress.' " 

"To Addison himself we are bound by a sentiment as 
much like affection as any sentiment can be, which is in- 
spired by one who has been sleeping a hundred and twenty- 
five years in Westminster Abbey." 

"The style of Bunyan is delightful to every reader, and 
invaluable as a study to every person who wishes to obtain 
a wide command over the English language." 

"The reputation of those writings which he [Johnson] 
probably expected to be immortal, is every day fading, 
while those peculiarities of manner, and that careless table- 
talk, the memory of wliich he probably thought would die 
with him, are likely to be remembered as long as the English 
language is spoken in any quarter of the globe." 

"Two words form the key to the Baconian philosophy — 
utility and progress. The ancient philosophy disdained to 
be useful, and was content to be stationary. 

"The art which Bacon taught was the art of inventing 
arts. The knowledge in which Bacon excelled all men was a 
knowledge of the mutual relations of all departments of 
knowledge." 

" The prince of poets and the prince of philosophers who 
have made the Elizabethan age a more glorious and impor- 
tant era in the history of the human mind than the age of 
Pericles, of Augustus, or of Leo." 

" To us he [Byron] is still a man, young, noble, and un- 
happy. To our children he will merely be a writer, and their 
impartial judgment will appoint his place among writers with- 
out regard to his rank or to his private history." 



IIS/1^0^TTX_i^v"3r T:E3Ij3 historian. 

[tHOUUUT-OUTMNE TO HELP THE MKM0BY.] 

His early life? As a reader 1 At Cambridge ? 

Essays on Milton, ou Hastings, and on Addison J Their republication ? 
The history? Preparation? Modes of work? Its popularity? Its frag- 
mentary nature ? 
As a statesman? The Reform bill ? His work in India ? 
As a scholar? Favorite books? Range of reading? 
In conversation ? His friends 3 Lust hours ? 



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33, 
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40, 
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43 
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